Manchester City vs Chelsea prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-05-20 15:00.
History is in the making for this very special Manchester City outfit with their current 11-game winning streak in the Premier League (PL) set to pay dividends, as a 12th in succession here would crown them Champions of England for a historic third consecutive season. That feat has only been achieved by their cross-town rivals Manchester United before, whom they’ll face in the FA Cup final of what could be quest number two in the pursuit of another of their neighbour’s lone feats, the elusive treble!
The final chapter was booked in midweek when Man City put on a masterclass against Europe’s most successful side Real Madrid, beating them 4-0 to book their tickets to just their second-ever UEFA Champions League final, the trophy that may cement Pep Guardiola’s legacy as one of football’s greatest managers. And who better to get their treble-chase started off against than Chelsea, the team who robbed City of European glory in 2021, and a team they’ve beaten in the five H2Hs since without conceding.
Chelsea have never lost six consecutive matches without scoring to any opponent in their history, and doing so here would be the unfortunate cherry on top of their own historic season which will most likely see them finish in the bottom-half of the table for the first time since 1996. But they have shown signs of life lately by going two games undefeated (W1, D1) after losing six games in a row prior.
Frank Lampard’s troops could be in for a long afternoon at the Etihad, as none of their last 14 PL meetings against teams starting the day above them have ended in victory (D4, L10). And after winning only two of their last 15 away assignments (D3, L10) it could be a blue day for the Blues.
Key battle: A rivalry of number 17s who are very familiar with each other could decide the game, as no ex-Chelsea player has scored more PL goals against them than City’s Kevin De Bruyne with five, while Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling has only ever lost four of the 132 club matches he’s scored in (W118, D10), with much of that damage being done during his time with City.
Hot stat: Manchester City have lost their final home PL game only once in the last 13 seasons (W11, D1).